THE UNDERGRADUATE STANDARD.

In the communication printed in another column, fault is found with a system of grading graduates and undergraduates by different standards, as was suggested in the CRIMSON last Thursday. The crux of the matter lies in the question of whether marking shall be done upon attainment or progress. To the CRIMSON the latter alternative seems the more just, in that the preliminary knowledge of a graduate is always greater than that of the younger members of a course in the group "For Undergraduates and Graduates."

The communication compares an advanced course to the football team, likening an A man to the winner of an "H." This analogy is false, for the football team representing the University must by its very nature be composed of the best players. On the other hand, no course is composed of those students who are the most able in the field which it represents. To fulfill its purpose any course should be open to all men who are qualified to profit by it. As explained in our editorial of October 13, the fact that undergraduates are expected to maintain in certain advanced work a standard beyond their knowledge, limits the usefulness of such courses by excluding men who are dependent upon high marks. The CRIMSON feels that it is possible to broaden the field of study by marking upon progress rather than attainment.